Vending and display rack



1 Dec. 31, 1929. c, OVERTON 1,741,732

VENDING AND DISPLAY RACK Filed Feb. 2, 1928 4570M? C Gzexzan Patented Dec. 31, 1929 STATES PATENT OFFECE BRODIE C. OVERTON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI VENDING AND DISPLAY BACK Application filed February 2, 1928. Serial No. 251,267.

This invention relates to racks, and has more particular reference to a rack or device adapted to hold bags or packages of peanuts, potato chips, or other edibles or articles so as to display them attractively and so that any one can be easily removed without disturbing the others when a sale is made.

. The invention aims to provide a device of the character described that will be light and rigid in structure; that will present very little surface and few crevices in which dust and dirt tend to accumulate; that will be simple and that can be economically constructed and will not be liable easily to become out of order; that can be easily reloaded; and tnat will be provided with means to display prominently the name of the manufacturer, the brand, or any other suitable advertising or display or descriptive matter and the like.

= Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, that has been selected for the purpose of illustration only and not in a limiting sense.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of references denote like parts wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the rack, showing the front thereof and as it appears with its parts in' normal vending position;

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the rack, as it appears with its parts positioned for reloading; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the same.

The end standards 1 of the frame are preferably formed of a single piece of steel wire 2, each end standard having a lower portion bent into the outline of a concave quadrilateral comprising rising legs 3 and l, that converge and meet at the vertex 5, and a pair of base sections 6 and 7, that incline from their respective adjacent legs 3 and 4 and converge toward the middle 8 to form a concave bottom 9, the rising legs 8 of each standard continuing upwardly beyond the vertex 5, as at 10, and the upper end of the continuation 10 of each standard being connected inclined plane of the guides 10,

to the upper end of the continuation 10 of the other standard by a substantially horizontal section 11 of the wire 2, the ends 12 of the Wire 2 being preferably welded or other wise suitably attached to the leg portions 3 P at the vertex 5. The opposing base portions 0 6 are connected by a bar 13 attached to corresponding intermediate points thereon; the base portions 7 are likewise connected by a bar 14; and the juncture 8 of the portions 6 and 7 of one standard is connected to the juncture 8 of the other standard by a bar 15. The bars or struts 13, 14 and 15 are preferably formed of steel wire and are preferably welded to the underside 9 of the base portions 6 and 7 and the junctures 8 Angle-shaped prongs 16, preferably also formed of steel wire, have their inclined legs 17 welded or otherwise suitably attached preferably to the undersides of the bars 13 and 15, and their substantially vertical legs 18 rising above the strut 15.

A bar or plate 19, preferably formed of suitable sheet metal, such as tin-plated steel, has its lateral edges curled backward and inward to form flanges 20 and grooves 21 disposed intermediary of said flanges and the plate 19. The grooves 21 are adapted. sli'dably to receive the guide portions 10 of the standards 1, there being preferably just sufiicient friction between the guides 10 and the grooves '21 to maintain the plate 19 at any height to which it has been set. It will be observed that the plane of the substantially vertical prongs 18 is intersected by the as best shown in Figure 2. WVhen it is desired to load the rack with the bags 22 or other articlcsthat areto be vended, the plate 19 is elevated into the position indicated in Figure 3 and by the full lines in Figure 2; and the bags 22 are pushed down against tie points 28 of the prongs, whereby the latter pierce the bags and guide them against lateral displacement as they are slipped down the prongs one after another until a stack or tier of such superposed bags is held by each prong 18, the bottom bag resting on the seat-bars 18 and 15, and all the bags being inclined by reason of the bar 15 being higher than the bar 13, so that any reading or descriptive matter on the bags can be read the more easily by a prospective customer. When the prongs have been loaded, their upper ends are bent rearwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, and the plate 19 is lowered until the lower corners of the plate encounter the legs 4 at the vertices 5, the resilient nature of the wire prongs causing the upper ends of the prongs to bear yieldingly against the rear side of the plate 19, as shown in broken lines in Figure 2. The sharp ends 23 of the prongs are thereby covered by the plate 19, so that there is no danger of the points sticking the hand of any one using the device, as there might he were the protecting plate 19 omitted. The parts of the device are now in normal vending position; and the bags may be removed individually by pulling them forwardly, thereby tearing them loose at the prongs 18. The plate 19 in its depressed position prevents the bags being removed by passing them up over the ends of the prongs. The upper and lower ec ges of the plate 19 are curled forward and over the front face of the plate 19 to form flanges 2%: and grooves 25 intermediary of the flanges 24- and plate 19, wherein a card or plate can be held that may bear suitable advertising or descriptive matter or the like.

It will be observed that the frame, being formed of open wirework, is light, rigid. sanitary, and simple, and can be cheaply manufactured.

Having thus fully described this invention, I hereby reserve the benefit of all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising a frame formed of Wire to provide a prong in one plane and a pair of parallel guide portions in an intersecting plane, and a plate having curled-over edges adapted to form grooves to receive said parallel guide portions.

2. A device of the character described comprising a frame formed of Wire to provide a row of prongs arranged side by side in one plane and a pair of parallel guide portions arranged beyond the ends of the row of prongs and in an intersecting plane, and a plate having curled-over edges adapted to form grooves that fit slidably over said guide portions.

3. A frame of the character described comprising a pair of end standards, a pair of bars connecting said standards, one of said bars being disposed higher and farther rearward than the other, and a prong having an inclined leg that connects said bars and a leg that rises substantially vertically in juxtaposition to the higher bar.

4. A frame of the character described comprising a pair of end standards formed of a single piece of wire and each having a lower portion bent into the outline of a concave quadrilateral comprising rising legs that converge at the vertex and a pair of base sections that incline from respective legs and converge toward the middle to form concave bottom, one of the rising legs of each standard continuing upwardly beyond the vertex and its upper end being connected to the upper end of the continuation of the corresponding rising leg of the opposite standard by a substantially horizontal section of said piece of wire; wire struts connecting correspondingpoints on the base sections of the opposing standards, and a prong having a leg connected to said struts and a leg that rises above said struts.

5. A device of the character described comprising a pair of end standards, one of the legs of each standard forming extensions directed upwardly from the top thereof, a horizontal section connecting the top ends of said extensions, bars connecting said standards, a resilient prong rising from said bars and having its upper end extending above the plane of the tops of said standards, and a plate normally having its bottom edge extending below the top end of said prong and being springingly engaged thereby, said plate being slidably borne by said extensions and adapted to be moved to free the end of said prong.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature.

BBODIE C. OVERTON. 

